Senior HR Executive - Payroll - Retail

About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Senior HR & Payroll Executive to join our client's team in Chandigarh. This role will be responsible for managing end-to-end payroll operations and key HR processes across our India offices, while ensuring accuracy, compliance, and a positive employee experience.
You will own the complete India payroll cycle and act as a backup for EMEA payroll and benefits operations, ensuring seamless regional continuity. In addition to payroll, the role covers onboarding and offboarding, HR data management, audit support, and maintaining local HR policies.
This is a hands-on position ideal for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of people, processes, and numbers. Over time, the role offers an opportunity to grow into broader HR business partnering responsibilities.
Key Responsibilities

- Manage the complete monthly payroll process for India, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant execution.
- Ensure adherence to Indian statutory requirements, including labour laws, taxation, and payroll governance.
- Act as a backup for EMEA payroll and benefits processes, coordinating closely with regional HR and payroll teams.
- Handle end-to-end onboarding and offboarding for India offices, including documentation, induction, and exit formalities.
- Partner with the Talent Acquisition team to prepare offer letters, employment contracts, and related documentation.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records in HR systems, ensuring data integrity and compliance.
- Review, update, and centralise India-specific HR policies in line with legal requirements and organisational practices.
- Support internal and external audits by preparing and maintaining audit-ready documentation.
- Address employee queries related to payroll, HR policies, and processes in a timely and professional manner.
- Support employee engagement and recognition initiatives to foster an inclusive and connected workplace culture.
What we're looking for
- 5-10 years of hands-on experience managing full-cycle payroll for India.
- Strong working knowledge of Indian labour laws, statutory compliance, taxation, and payroll reporting.
- Proven experience supporting audits and managing compliance documentation.
- Proficiency in HR Information Systems (experience with HiBob is a strong advantage) and Microsoft Office tools.
- High attention to detail with excellent organisational and time-management skills.
- Strong communication and interpersonal abilities, with experience collaborating across teams and regions.
- Proactive, reliable, and comfortable taking ownership of processes and deadlines.